The automobile is generally the most common form of daily transportation for travelers or commuters of all kinds. As the number of vehicles on roads continues to grow, traffic congestion and pollution have become very problematic. Management of public thoroughfares comprehends managing use of a variety of travel options, including personal automobile use on public roads, regional and intrastate highways, interstate highways, public toll and access roads, private toll and access roads, as well as of various forms of public/mass transportation (e.g., buses, trains, ferries, etc.). Travelers have many differing travel requirements, options, and habits, each of which impact their decisions on travel option use.
Management of travel issues and options may also contemplate considering the impact of each existing, planned, and proposed transit system on the environment. It is generally desirable to increase the green nature, for example an earth or environmental friendliness, of regional transit systems, and in one aspect considering larger area or national impacts. It is generally considered greener to pursue policies that encourage travelers to maximize their use of mass transportation options in order to minimize their automobile usage, and in particular to minimize individual trips with no other passengers by encouraging car pooling and ride-sharing behaviors.
However, travel system management and service provider entities may have difficulty balancing the requirements and desires of commuters and other travelers against travel system requirements and attributes, for example serving traveler needs while also responding to traffic congestion, environmental impact, availability and use of mass transit, and equitable distribution of travel cost issues. Thus, travelers often select travel options based on their personal costs (e.g. time and money), and not in response to overall general efficiency and environmental impact costs, in some examples resulting in multiple single-occupancy vehicle trips to common destinations rather than reduced trips through ride sharing, thus having a negative environmental impact relative to more environmentally-favorable ride sharing options.